Vaccine Inequity Part II: South Africa fights back

Guest: Alex Boyd, reporter for the Toronto Star

Canada currently has enough COVID-19 vaccines to double vaccinate the country six times over. That is a bigger stockpile per person than any other country in the world. Granted, not all of those vaccines have been authorized yet, but it’s a strategy that has helped ensure a steady supply and helped Canadians get vaccines sooner than others. But a stockpile comes at the expense of other countries who have been left waiting, such as Africa where the vaccination rate is just over 10 per cent. Noting the inequity, scientists in South Africa have turned to making their own vaccines. Star reporter Alex Boyd visited the Afrigen Biologics Facility in Cape Town, where the first M-RNA vaccine prototype was produced.

Alex’s reporting was made possible by funding from the R. James Travers Corresponding Fellowship, an award that honours the legacy of Canadian journalist Jim Travers.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Alex Boyd, Matthew Hearn and Sean Pattendon